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Why some tumors resist immunotherapy: Blocking miR-25 may help turn ‘cold’ cancers ‘hot’

Immune checkpoint therapy, a type of cancer immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognize and attack tumors, has transformed cancer treatment. While these therapies can produce long-lasting benefits for some patients, many cancers either fail to respond or become resistant over time.

One major challenge is the tumor microenvironment —the network of cells and signals surrounding tumors that can weaken immune cells and protect cancer from treatment. This protective environment can act like a shield that prevents immunotherapy from working effectively.

Researchers at University of California San Diego investigated whether microRNAs —small RNA molecules that help control gene activity—play a role in creating this treatment-resistant environment. The team focused on microRNA-25 (miR-25), which stood out after analyses showed that its levels changed in tumors that responded to immunotherapy.

Targeted therapy reduces risk of lung cancer recurrence by 83% in rare genetic subtype

A new study co-led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that the targeted cancer drug selpercatinib can significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer returning in patients with a rare genetic subtype of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), potentially offering a new treatment option to help keep the disease from coming back after standard therapy.

The international phase 3 clinical trial, called LIBRETTO-432, found that after two years, 92% of patients with stage II–IIIA RET fusion-positive NSCLC who received selpercatinib after standard treatment were alive without their cancer returning—a measure known as event-free survival—compared with 61% of patients who received a placebo. Overall, the treatment reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 83%.

The results were shared during the Plenary Session on May 31 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting by Dr. Jonathan Goldman, Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The paper was also published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Children’s brain tumors may spread faster when microglia build invasion-friendly scaffolding

Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet, have identified a possible mechanism behind the spread of the aggressive brain tumor diffuse midline glioma. The study shows that the brain’s own immune cells, microglia, may contribute to the tumor’s invasive capacity by producing the protein fibronectin. The results are published in the journal Cell Death & Disease.

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), is a rare but highly aggressive brain tumor that primarily affects children. There is currently no effective treatment, and the prognosis is very poor.

In the present study, the researchers investigated how microglia—the brain’s immune cells—are affected by tumor cells and what role they play in disease progression.

Scientists discover inherited traits that break Mendel’s Laws of genetics

A major mouse study found that some inherited traits are passed down through epigenetic changes that break the classic rules of genetics. Researchers discovered hundreds of cases where these chemical DNA marks behaved unexpectedly, including some that seemed to emerge out of nowhere. They also identified the first known naturally occurring paramutation in a mammal, hinting that environmental influences may play a larger role in inheritance than scientists realized.

Innovative Mars rovers ‘swim’ through the sand

Some animals can move efficiently beneath granular surfaces. These include the sandfish (Scincus scincus), a lizard native to the Sahara. It can burrow into the sand and then literally “swim” through the desert sand to hunt or escape predators.

The principles of movement underlying this ability have only been understood for a few years. Researchers at the University of Würzburg have now translated the sandfish’s locomotion mechanism into an initial technical solution—an innovative Mars rover that outperforms other models when moving on sand.

The team led by computer scientist Marco Schmidt, Professor for Embedded Systems and Sensors for Earth Observation (ESSEO), is collaborating with researchers from Bremen. The project is part of the VaMEx initiative of the German Aerospace Center.

For real heart protection, the weekly exercise number climbs far beyond current advice

Adults should aim to do between 560 and 610 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity to achieve a substantial reduction in the risk of heart attacks and stroke, suggest the findings of an observational study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

This is between three to four times higher than the current public health recommendation that adults do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical exercise such as brisk walking, running, or cycling.

People who are less fit need to do slightly more exercise than those who are very fit to get the same cardiovascular benefits, the study suggests.

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